Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 4 large yellow onions, sliced and separated into rings
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup cooking sherry
• 7 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
• 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 8 slices of French bread
• 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
• 1/3 cup shredded Emmental cheese
• 1/4 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Heat butter in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat; cook and stir onions until they become translucent, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle onions with sugar; reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring constantly, until onions are soft and browned, at least 30 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Stir sherry into onion mixture and scrape bottom of pot to dissolve small bits of browned food from the pot. Transfer onions into a slow cooker and pour in beef broth. Season to taste with sea salt; stir in thyme and bay leaf. Cover cooker, set on High, and cook 4 to 6 hours. If desired, set on Low and cook 8 to 10 hours.
3. About 10 minutes before serving, set oven rack about 8 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler. Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet.
4. Broil bread slices until toasted, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
5. Combine Gruyere, Emmental, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses in a bowl, tossing lightly. Fill oven-safe soup crocks 3/4 full of onion soup and float a bread slice in each bowl. Top with about 2 tablespoons of cheese mixture per serving.
6. Place filled bowls onto a baking sheet and broil until cheese topping is lightly browned and bubbling, about 2 minutes.